NetLinux Desktop v0.1
Debian bookworm-based live ISO with Xfce desktop, Calamares graphical
installer, and all NetLinux packages pre-installed. Boot from USB, try it
live, or install to disk.
Why NetLinux Desktop?
Standard Debian and Ubuntu installs ship older kernels, lag behind on
desktop software, and require manual configuration to get a development-ready
workstation. NetLinux Desktop provides a single ISO that boots into a
fully configured environment:
- Custom 6.19 kernel — latest upstream with
squashfs, overlayfs, and Apple SMC support built in
- All NetLinux packages pre-installed — GIMP 3.0,
Chromium, TightVNC, qpwgraph, rsync 3.4, Claude Code, and more —
no manual repository setup needed
- Development ready — build-essential, DKMS, Git,
Node.js, SSH server, and networking tools out of the box
- Creative tools — Blender, GIMP, CuraEngine, and
SimpleScreenRecorder for 3D modelling, image editing, 3D printing,
and screen capture
- Calamares installer — graphical installer for
permanent installation to disk with full-disk encryption support
- AI-assisted engineering — Claude Code CLI
pre-installed for AI-assisted development workflows
- Meta-package available — install the full
desktop stack on any Debian bookworm system with
apt install netlinux-desktop
Release details
Nightly build
Warning: This is an automated nightly build from the
main branch. It may be unstable. For production use, download
the stable release above.
Boot options
| NetLinux Desktop (Live) | Boot into the live desktop session |
| NetLinux Desktop (safe graphics) | Boot with nomodeset for GPU compatibility issues |
| Install NetLinux Desktop | Boot live then auto-launch the Calamares installer |
| NetLinux Desktop (failsafe) | Minimal boot with all hardware workarounds enabled |
Compared to stock Debian bookworm
| Feature | Debian 12 | NetLinux Desktop v0.1 |
| Kernel | 6.1 | 6.19 (custom build) |
| GIMP | 2.10 | 3.0 (NetLinux build) |
| Chromium | Not included | Pre-installed |
| VNC | Not included | TightVNC |
| Screen recording | Not included | SimpleScreenRecorder |
| AI tooling | None | Claude Code CLI |
| PipeWire management | Not included | qpwgraph |
| 3D printing | Not included | CuraEngine |
| Graphical installer | Debian Installer (ncurses) | Calamares (GUI) |
| Live boot | Separate live image | Built in — try before installing |
| Developer tools | Manual install | build-essential, Git, Node.js, DKMS |
Included software
Desktop
- Xfce 4 + goodies
- LightDM
- Openbox
- Thunar file manager
- Konqueror
- Mousepad text editor
- Ristretto image viewer
- xterm
- Plymouth boot splash
- NetworkManager
- PulseAudio
NetLinux packages
- Claude Code
- Chromium
- GIMP 3.0
- TightVNC
- SimpleScreenRecorder
- qpwgraph
- PavuControl
- rsync 3.4
- kio-rsync
- CuraEngine
- applesmc-next-dkms
- battery-tray
Creative
- Blender
- GIMP 3.0
- CuraEngine (3D printing)
- SimpleScreenRecorder
System & development
- OpenSSH server
- build-essential
- DKMS
- Git
- Node.js
- curl, wget, htop, vim
- bridge-utils, net-tools
- Firmware (linux, non-free)
- GRUB EFI (signed)
Quick start
Test with QEMU
qemu-system-x86_64 -cdrom netlinux-desktop-amd64.hybrid.iso -m 4096 -enable-kvm
Write to USB
sudo dd if=netlinux-desktop-amd64.hybrid.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync
Build from source
git clone https://github.com/netlinux-ai/netlinux-desktop.git
cd netlinux-desktop
sudo ./build.sh
Meta-package (install on existing Debian)
sudo apt install netlinux-desktop
NetLinux Server
Minimal headless Debian bookworm-based server live ISO with Docker,
UFW firewall, fail2ban, SSH, and unattended security upgrades.
Boot from USB for instant server deployment.
Why NetLinux Server?
Standard Debian server installs require extensive post-install configuration
to harden SSH, set up Docker, configure a firewall, and enable automatic
security updates. NetLinux Server provides a single ISO that boots into
a production-ready server baseline:
- Custom 6.19 kernel — latest upstream with
container and networking support built in
- Docker ready — Docker engine installed and
enabled, ready to deploy containers immediately
- Security hardened — UFW firewall (allow SSH,
deny all incoming), fail2ban SSH jail (5 retries, 1h ban),
unattended security upgrades enabled
- SSH enabled — OpenSSH server running on boot,
ready for remote management
- Meta-package available — install the full
server stack on any Debian bookworm system with
apt install netlinux-server
Release details
Nightly build
Warning: This is an automated nightly build from the
main branch. It may be unstable.
Boot options
| NetLinux Server (Live) | Boot into the live server session with SSH enabled |
| NetLinux Server (failsafe) | Minimal boot with all hardware workarounds enabled |
Compared to stock Debian bookworm
| Feature | Debian 12 | NetLinux Server |
| Kernel | 6.1 | 6.19 (custom build) |
| Docker | Manual install | Pre-installed & enabled |
| Firewall | Manual setup | UFW enabled (SSH allowed, deny incoming) |
| Intrusion prevention | Not included | fail2ban with SSH jail |
| Security updates | Manual | unattended-upgrades enabled |
| Service monitoring | Not included | needrestart |
| Developer tools | Manual install | build-essential, Git, DKMS |
| Live boot | Separate image | Built in — boot and deploy |
Included software
Services
- OpenSSH server
- Docker
- UFW firewall
- fail2ban
- unattended-upgrades
- needrestart
System & development
- build-essential
- DKMS
- Git
- curl, wget, htop, vim
- bridge-utils, net-tools
- Firmware (linux, non-free)
- GRUB EFI (signed)
Quick start
Test with QEMU
qemu-system-x86_64 -cdrom netlinux-server-amd64.hybrid.iso -m 2048 -enable-kvm -nographic
Write to USB
sudo dd if=netlinux-server-amd64.hybrid.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync
Build from source
git clone https://github.com/netlinux-ai/netlinux-server.git
cd netlinux-server
sudo ./build.sh
Meta-package (install on existing Debian)
sudo apt install netlinux-server
NetLinux Packages ·
Desktop Source ·
Server Source ·
netlinux.co.uk